A New Beginning
by xonlyx
Summary: Used to be Gone Again, Home Again A HHR fic. The story of years after Harry, Hermione, and Ron's seventh year at Hogwarts and how the peace of the Wizarding World being threatened once again and of Harry's supposed killing
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

"_Let go of me! He's still alive!"_

"_Hermione, quit it! You know he's not alive!"_

"_No! I-I--he's in there Ron! Damn it, let me go!"_

_She pulled out of his grip and barely walked two steps before she fell to her knees, a_ _sob escaping from the back of her throat. Sometimes life just wasn't fair; more so to others, but she couldn't think of anyone who deserved to die._

_Especially Harry._

_She watched as the building that she and Ron had barely made out alive, burn to the ground. From the usual regular color of flames, these flames were green. Ron knelt down besides her and gently rested his hand on her shoulder. But she ignored it; all she could think about was her best friend, dead. She lowered her head and let the tears fall; she wanted him back. She wanted things to be the same again. She wanted both of her best friends sitting next to her, wanted all the pain and suffering of the people around her to be gone, wanted to be back at Hogwarts, where all her friends felt safe, free, and comfort again._

_She looked up towards the sky and suddenly fell like lashing out. She felt angry, sad, at loss, frustrated. She wanted to scream, throw a punch, and throw herself to the ground and cry like a baby. Ron's hand tightened on her shoulder and she remembered that she wasn't the only one going through the same thing. Harry wasn't just her best friend, he was Ron's best friend. More so then her. Ron, his family, had been Harry's family as well. _

_Then it happened; a scream, so loud and so high pitched ripped through the air. Both the red head and the brunette looked towards the building still up in flames. Something shot through the air; the people around them, the Auror's and other people from the Ministry of Magic and Death Eaters that tried to escape but now captured, looked as well. Everyone clasped their hands over their ears and watched, in amazement._

_Popping noises could be heard, they started as faint and became loud. The scream still carried on; no one knew what was going one. She watched, scared, wondering. The green color of the flames grew darker and then suddenly disappeared._

_Hermione had a sickening feeling that this war that everyone thought was over, wasn't over just yet._

**Ten Years Later**

Hermione Granger woke up, feeling like she was being watched.

Slowly, she sat up and looked around her room; she knew it was just nerves that was making her feel this way. She knew that there was no possible way that someone could be in her room without her knowing of it. The room was heavily guarded by spells that only someone who either knew of the spells that were in here or was very smart to get passed them all without having to know of them.

But of course, the school itself was guarded just as heavily.

She looked around her room and found it the way she left it before she fell asleep. The fire had died down during the night_, _she was still buried under three heavy blankets to block out the cold; her desk still had a stack of books from the Library and papers stacked neatly beside them. Dressers were neat, no door sticking out or anything. She looked up at the walls, where the paintings were still sleeping.

But Hermione couldn't shake out the feeling of being watched. She fully sat up, placed her pillows against the headboard and leaned back. She checked her wristwatch and saw that she had only been asleep for only a couple of hours. Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair and yawned. It was still dark, except for what little light the burned logs brought.

Hermione got up, her bare feet hitting the cold floor. Walking to her desk, she lit the lamp and let the light fill up her room. She heard a muffled complaint from one of the paintings, but she ignored it. She learned over the past few years that the paints more or less enjoyed complaining about different things. She learned very quickly to ignore them.

Things at Hogwarts schoolnever did change. The only thing that did change was the students and the teachers. Mostly all the teachers that she had as a student had retired. There were a few new ones that came after she left. The atmosphere was still the same. Students, as usual, still had their dramas and conflicts. Besides the usual pranks or two, things were once again peaceful among Hogwarts.

Once again, it was the safest place to be.

After all, she should know. She was the Headmistress.

Hermione sat down at her desk and stared at the books she had piled up. She smiled, remembering the days she spent with her nose deep in the book, trying to learn things by the minute. She still found great pleasure in learning new things, whether it was about the schools history or past famous witches or wizards or even about the Wizarding world itself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything Harry Potter

**Chapter Two**

Hermione walked around the school, enjoying the last hours of silence before the school would be bustling with students. Walking down the corridors, she enjoyed the gentle breeze of summer and was glad to see that the sun was out and that it looked to be a gorgeous day.

As she walked about, Hermione tried her best to suppress a yawn. After she woke up last night, she couldn't quite get back to sleep. She spent the rest of the night working; finishing up on some work that needed to be done before students arrived. Now that she had it done, she had the morning and afternoon just to relax. Unless something else needed her attention.

But that's usually how it went. Before she had the time to relax, something came up that needed her attention. It would range from the House Elves having a quarrel to a Ministry of Magic issue. So every moment that she found to herself, she cherished it.

When she was about to turn the corner to that would lead her outside, she felt the sudden warmth that surrounded her leave. Stopping, she turned her attention to outside. The once gorgeous day was now starting to look dismal. The wind picked up and the sky was getting darker. Hermione walked as far as she could before she ended outside. She looked up at the sky, the clouds dark and billowing. The sound of thunder could be heard from a distance and it wouldn't be long before it reached here.

"Quite the change in the weather, wouldn't you say Headmistress?"

"Hmm," Hermione stared at the sky with a watchful eye. "I would say so."

Professor Arian Nishant walked up next to Hermione and looked up at the sky as it got darker. Hermione knew him fairly well, for he became a Professor at Hogwarts two years ago, a year after Hermione became in charge of the school. Of course she had taken the time to get to know all the teachers. Some she knew better then others. But so far, she trusted every individual that worked at the school.

"What do you make of it?" Arian asked her.

Hermione looked over at Arian; a man that was about her age, tall, handsome, a regular heartthrob, with a Scottish accent that soothed the nerves. All the Professors knew of the secret crush's that every girl at school had on him, and no one wasted a moment to tease him because of that. But of course, no one could blame him. He had a fashionably haircut for most men, grey eyes that could make most girls swoon. And if the eyes didn't do the trick, his smile would.

"I'm guessing a storm." Hermione smiled. "Other then that, I don't know. Things do happen to change fast."

"They sure do," Arian said, watching now as the started to fall and the thunder rolled. "Do you think this has anything to do with–?"

"You pay too much attention to Professor Trelawney," Hermione chided, stopping him from finishing his sentence. "You know as well as I do that she can be over dramatic."

"And I know as well as you do that you don't believe in anything that Professor Trelawney has to say."

Hermione grinned, knowing she was guilty. "I never have believed in that kind of stuff," she said. "I'm more practical and I don't believe that you can read your future by drinking tea and reading what's on the bottom of the glass."

Hermione then became serious. "I was there that night. And I can say that Voldemort is not alive. He was destroyed, along with H–." She caught herself before she said his name. "With many others that night who will for sure not be forgotten."

Arian gave her a sympathetic look. He knew fully well of her past; her friendship with Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, who died a long with You-Know-Who. Sensing that she was starting to feel uncomfortable, as he was too, he cleared his throat and decided to change subjects.

"I must go Headmistress," Arian said, getting ready to walk off. "I will see you at start of the term feast?"

"Of course." She watched as Arian walked off, heading towards his classroom to finish off some last minute work. Hermione was glad that he had decided to leave. She needed this time to think. Of course, she knew of Trelawney's prediction, she had been spreading the word to anyone who would listen. Hermione was having mix feelings towards that, torn between anger and anticipation.

Hermione whipped around and walked off, leaving the storm. Of course, Arian was right. It was odd that the storm had appeared out of no where. But she wasn't going to take it as a sign that things were about to happen. Though, she couldn't let the feeling of dread leave her. She blamed it on the storm.

"Wolf Snout."

The Gargoyles stepped aside, letting Hermione into her office. When she walked up the twisting stairs, she found a familiar owl sitting on her desk chair, with a letter tied to his leg. Smiling, she reached the well worn out Pig, Ron's owl that was highly active back in the day. Hermione handed him some food as she untied the letter from his leg.

It was from Clare James. Clare was a good friend of Hermione's and she was also Ron's fiancé, which they were planning on getting married this winter. Clare was a lively girl, with a wicked sense of humor, a caring heart, and also tended to worry a little too much. Especially with Ron being an Auror for the Ministry of Magic.

_Hermione-_

_I know with school starting tonight, you must be very busy. But something's been happening around here in Diagon Alley. You may not have heard of it yet, since the Ministry has been keeping it very quiet and trying to erase everyone's memory that's been witnessing it. So pretty much, its been staying out of the papers._

_But I figured I'd tell you, because I know you would want to know. Some weird things have been going on, I really don't know what. But Ron has been coming home with stories, things that are even making the Ministry start to worry. Ron wouldn't like me telling you this, but I'm pretty sure he'd tell you sooner or later._

_But the things happening aren't good at all; they're being controlled by somebody. They do things, like, attack a crowd full of people, climb up on a building and jump. Ron thinks its all dark magic being used on them. I really don't know how the Ministry is keeping this out of the Daily Prophet. And there are these weird storms that are popping up out of no where. I'm sure you noticed the storms, have any happened around Hogwarts?_

_There are all kinds of rumors floating around, people saying that _You-Know-Who_ is back and slowly gaining power. Or maybe that Harry Potter never died and he's becoming evil. I've brought up these things to Ron, telling him the rumors that I've heard, but he just says its rumors, none of them true. But what I think bothers him the most is that what if Harry is alive? I know that the three of you were great friends. And I know it would upset you too; but please Hermione, talk to the Ministry of Magic. My sisters little girl is starting her first year this year, and they're wondering if Hogwarts is any safe with all these things happening._

_But I've bothered you with my _worries _enough; but I knew you would want to know. If things are going amiss, please talk to me and Ron. _

_ Love, Clare_

Hermione re-read the letter, barely noticing that she was chewing on her lower lip. Clare was right, something was wrong. And why the Minister of Magic hadn't contacted her, she did not know. Usually if things were wrong, Hermione knew before it even hit the papers. The Minister knew how important it was that Hogwarts remained safe.

Hogwarts was attacked once, it couldn't be attacked again. They both knew that it would no longer remain a school if that happened. Hermione sat there, thinking. It was apparent that the Minister was trying to keep this from getting to her. Had it been any other matter, she would've been told.

But something this serious; Hermione frowned. She definitely didn't know what to make of it. Frowning, she opened her desk door and pulled out two pieces of parchment. On one, she wrote a letter of reassurance. On the second one, she demanded information.

**A/N**: This is a re-post of Gone Again, Home Again. I really didn't like the title and it's been awhile since I had picked up this fic, so I thought I start all over again. So to any old readers out there, welcome back and to any new readers, Hello and I really hope you enjoy. I would really love some positive feed back on this and I will keep updating as much as I can and editing as I see fit. Thanks! -xonlyx


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything Harry Potter

**Chapter Three**

"To those who are new, welcome. To those who are old, I'm glad to see familiar faces. Before we start devouring all of the food that awaits to be eaten, I would like to pinpoint a few issues that you might, or might not have, heard during the summer."

Hermione looked around the Great Hall, watching as every students attention was directed on her. Well, not every student. Some were still talking among themselves and others, mostly the first years, were looking around the room, still trying to digest the magic of it all.

It still gave Hermione a great sense of thrill to be the one standing up here, to be the one looked upon by every single student. And it was also a great pleasure to see the students grow and develop their talents and abilities.

"For starters, Hogwarts will remain open throughout the year and every single year after that. No matter of the rumors you might have heard, the strange fears of the Ministry wanting to close the school for fear of the students safety; I can say that these rumors are in fact, rumors. No more."

"Second of all, another odd rumor of a snake disguised as a student that is attending Hogwarts _and_ that has ties to Dark Arts, is also just a _rumor_. Be assured that Hogwarts is a snake free facility and the only ones that you might ever see around here are gardener snakes, which are _not_ poisonous."

"Also, I would like to pinpoint a few rules that need to be known and need to be reminded," Hermione sent out a stern look to many familiar faces. "The Forbidden Forrest is called the Forbidden Forest for a reason. No student should be anywhere near that Forrest unless with a teacher and that teacher had better have a good reason. Also, Hogsmeade visits are for students who are in their Third year and above and whose guardian has signed the permission form that was mailed out to you."

"And last but not least, a few more-err-_objects_ have been banned from Hogwarts. Anything that has the logo 'Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes' on them are not aloud to be used or even seen in this school. If seen, they will be confiscated and you will never see them again."

A groan passed among the students; Hermione knew how much Fred and Georges' work was admired among the young people; but of course, Hermione knew Mr. Flitch found great satisfaction in banning their inventions from the school. And she had found out that students found great pleasure bringing them to school anyways, letting them off in front of Mr. Flitch's office.

"Now that I have covered what I needed to say," she said, smiling. "Let's not waste any more time."

With that said, every table was now filled with enough food to feast an army of trolls. Hermione took her seat, watching as both students and teachers helped themselves to the food. She barely got a spoonful of mash potato's when the conversation begun around her, asking her views on different topics of discussion and issues that surrounded the Wizarding community.

"So Professor, what do you think?" asked Gertrude Nimph, the Transfiguration Professor.

Hermione brought herself back to the conversation, wondering what on earth she was talking about. Thinking back to before she spaced off, she remembered Gertrude mentioning something about Animagi.

"I really don't see the need that the students should become an Animagus," Professor Nishant said, smiling before he took a drink of his pumpkin juice. "Instead of a bunch of students running around, we'd have a bunch of animals running around. Though at times, there wouldn't be much difference."

Hermione laughed, but quickly stopped herself. "I must say that I agree Gertrude," Hermione said reassuringly. "The Ministry might not like the fact that we're teaching the students how to become an Animagus; they watch these things very closely. And they can be very dangerous when done wrong."

Professor Nimph bristled. "Well, I think it will be proven to be very useful," she defended. "With the werewolf problem rising–."

Hermione sighed. Another one of Professor Trelawney's prediction. "There is no werewolf problem," she reassured, trying her best to stop a side remark that she really wanted to say. "It is being watched and controlled like it always has."

"I personally think that we should get rid of them all," chided in a voice from the other side of Hermione. "They're all just a menace and a potential threat to us all."

"Only if they bite you." Professor Nishant remarked.

Hermione straitened in her chair and smoothed out her crystal blue colored robes. Pretending she didn't hear the comment about how werewolves should be exterminated, she went back to taking care what was on her plate. Her better judgment knew that if she said something, she would regret it later on. The fact that she knew someone dear to her that was a werewolf and that people think that they should just get rid of them because of their misfortune, angered her. But as the Headmistress, she knew she had to be careful.

Soon, the talking died and everyone's stomach became full. Yawns were spread out across the room and it became apparent that everyone was ready to head up to their rooms for a goodnights sleep before they began classes tomorrow morning.

Hermione stood, said a few last words, and then sent them off. Prefects from each house led the way to their individual places. Hermione waited till every students had left the house and the House Elves were busy cleaning up the place. Each Professor took their leave, heading off to their own rooms for the night. Hermione said her goodnights and walked to her own room, feeling the days excitement take a toll on her.

She decided to take the longer way to her office, to make sure all was okay and that there weren't any stray students from their groups.

_"Hermione_."

Hermione clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the scream that was bubbling in her throat. She had almost made it to her office when her name was called out of no where. The hallway was dark, the only light available was coming from her wand. When her nerves finally calmed down, she looked around, trying to find out where that voice was coming from. She guessed it was probably from Peeves, the Hogwarts Poltergeist, a ghost that, even though she was Headmistress, still liked to play a prank on her.

"Peeves," she growled. "Enough is enough."

Spinning on her heel, she walked off. A sudden chill went down her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck stood. Rooted to the spot, she listened and waited. The sound of robes rustling together could be heard to her far left and she turned slightly, pointing her wand in that direction. She thought she almost saw something when her wand was knocked out of her hand and left stinging.

She grabbed her injured hand with her other, ignoring the pain. Frowning, she stared ahead, waiting for something to come out. But nothing happened. But then she heard the sound of robes rustling again and she walked forward, completely ignoring the fact that her wand was lying on the ground far away from her and that whatever was in the dark shadows could be dangerous.

The only sound that could be heard were from her shoes, which let out a _tap _whenever her heel hit the concrete floor. Slowly she walked, staring strait ahead. As she got closer, she could see an outline of a figure backed up against the wall. Whoever was there was tall, with dark hair and wearing a dark outfit. Why he was here, he didn't want to be seen. But she caught him.

All of a sudden, every lamp on the walls that weren't lit now came on. Hermione groaned, closing her eyes from the blinding light of the place. She blinked a couple of times, letting her eyes getting adjusted to the light. When she could see perfectly again, she turned to see who the stranger was.

She almost fainted then and there.

He was tall; much taller now than he used to be. His hair was the same, still a mess that looked like it never met a comb in his life. His eyes were the same piercing green. He looked tough, not that he never had before; but he looked tougher now. His face showing the things he went through in his twenty-eight years of life. Hermione didn't even need to look for the scar to know who he was.

But there he was. Standing in front of her; staring at her. She didn't know what to do; whether or not if she should break down and cry or scream and yell. Hermione wanted to do all four. So she just took a step forward and he still stood there, still staring at her. So she took another step, trying hard to stop the tears that threatened to fall.

Blinking rapidly, she got close enough to where both of the tip of their shoes were touching. He was a good head taller than she was and she had to look up to meet his gaze. He was still staring at her and she stared back. She couldn't read his expression; but she knew he could read hers. She had no doubt she was showing every single emotion that was running through her body. It was crazy. Slowly, she reached up and touched his cheek with her injured hand. She touched gently, afraid that this was some cruel joke and he was some sort of a figment of her imagination.

Or maybe she had really gone crazy after all these years. 

He was real alright; his face was warm and real. She bit her lower lip, unable to stop the tears from falling. Slowly, she watched as he reached for her hand and held it, looking away from her face and looked at her hand, expecting it as if it was badly injured. She followed his gaze and found that it was fine, not even a bruise was on it.

He looked back at her. "Hermione," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"H-." But she never got the words out. A second later her world went black and her body went slack in his arms.

________________________________________________________________________

Hermione woke up with a headache and in a foul mood. She turned over in her bed and stared at her wristwatch that lay on the bedside table. It read twenty after seven and she glared at it; she was running late and she did not want to wake up. She slowly sat up and let out a hiss when she put weight on her right hand. Lifting it, she gave it a quick look over. It looked fine, but whenever she tightened it, it hurt like the devil.

She gave her room a look over. Then it occurred to her; she didn't remember getting ready for bed that night nor did she even remember entering her room, let alone entering her office that led to her room. Pulling back the covers she saw that she was still wearing her robes from last night. She could tell from the strawberry jam stain that was on it.

Hermione stood, her head spinning. She slowly walked to her mirror and laughed aloud; she looked like a mess. Her hair was all over the place, not that it was ever neat. It still looked the same since school, just a bit longer and maybe not so out of control. Evidence of a bad nights sleep could be seen and it looked like she had been crying, her eyes sad and a bit red. Even what little makeup she ever wore was smeared and it looked like she had raccoon eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione got ready for the day. She showered, dried her hair, and changed. She went down to her office to take care of a few things, hoping that she had gotten a reply from her letter that she sent, before she went off to breakfast.

The headache had slightly gotten better as she stood in front of her desk and sorted through a few papers, trying to find what she was looking for. Oddly enough, her desk seemed neater then she remembered it being. Frowning, she dig deeper for those papers and frowned, finding that she couldn't find them. Sitting there, she stared at her desk.

Then it caught her eye.

On her right side sat a picture that had originally been on her left side. Picking it up, she stared at the picture. It was of her, Ron, and Harry; taken in the middle of their seventh year. All three of them had jinxed each other and they all looked rather ridiculous. Hermione's arms were covered in fish scales that Harry had nailed her with; she had nailed Ron, who had grown rabbit ears and the two front teeth to prove it; Ron had gotten Harry, who supported cow hooves instead of hands and a cows nose.

Laughing, she remembered how happy Harry was that day. He didn't seem–

"Oh my God."

Hermione dropped the picture and it fell with a satisfied thud, but she didn't notice as she collapsed in her chair, staring ahead, her world spinning, unable to believe what she finally remembered.

There was no way. It had to be a dream. That's all it was; it was a dream. A horrible dream that she had. It wouldn't have been the first time, of course. She had dreams like this before.

But she lifted her hand and stared at it; tears came, a sudden sadness and rage filled her. It was no dream. It was real; he was real. She had touched him and he took her hand into his and he spoke to her, he whispered her name, whispering that he was sorry. Then after that, she remembered no more.

"_Damn you Harry Potter_," Hermione dropped her head into her hands, quietly sobbing. _"Why are you doing this?"_

She stared at her desk, looking around. He had gone through her things and sorted through her papers. Of course, that's why she could couldn't find them. Those papers that the Minister had owled her. He faked his own death, hid for ten years, she caught him in the middle of the night prowling around Hogwarts, he knocked her out, and he stole from her.

Hermione stood up and started to pace around her office, her mind going wild. Theories and ideas went off in her head and she tried to sort them all through. He knew a lot of ways to get in and out of Hogwarts. Of course, he had learned them in their Third year, thanks to the Marauders Map–.

Hermione froze and her gaze flew to a closet that she hadn't opened in years. She all but ran to it and yanked it open; staring as every memory came flooding back to her. Here was it all; everything that belonged to Harry. Both Ron and her agreed to keep it all here at Hogwarts, since he loved this school more than anything, and he had always said that this would always be his real home.

She remembered putting it in with his invisibility cloak; Hermione reached in and pulled out a box that was marked _"Harry Potter"_. Tearing the box open, she sighed as she opened it. There it was, lying on top of the folded invisibility cloak. She took out her wand and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Then it began to work its magic; there she could see where everyone was. The majority of the school was already in the Great Hall, enjoying this mornings breakfast. Professors that never attended any of the schools functions were locked up in their classrooms, waiting for classes to begin. She could also see that a few students had already gotten in trouble and were headed to their Head of the House with Mr. Flitch right behind them.

The next time she ran into Harry Potter, she would be ready for him.

**A/N: **Thank you for the reviews. I very much appreciate it. I hope you all enjoy Chapter Three and I hope to hear from some new readers :)- xonlyx


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything Harry Potter

**Chapter Four**

A man in his late twenties paced in his room, trying his hardest to concentrate. It was hard, so many thoughts were running through his mind. And none of those thoughts had to do with the papers that lay before him.

Stopping in front of barely useable desk, he glared at the pieces of parchment. He gave his wristwatch a glance; it was ten after eight in the morning. She would be awake by now. And he knew it wouldn't take her long to figure out what happened.

And then all hell would break out.

He didn't like what he did; but he had to do it. It wasn't in his plan to run into her like, let alone let her see him. But he made a mistake, she saw him, but yet he got what he came for.

But she saw him.

Groaning, he fell down on a rickety chair and put his face in his hands. All he could see was her face, the fleeting moment of shock, anger, and then just plain happiness mixed with sadness. She walked up to him, a look of doubt on her face, wondering if he was real or not. But she touched his cheek and her tears of realization fell.

It was his fault; he shouldn't have waited. When he got there, he should've went strait to her office, grabbed the papers, and then left right after that. That was a lot of should haves. What he had done was wait till the feast was over, hid in a hallway he knew that no one traveled but her, and waited there.

So what if he had to see her? It had been ten long years since he had seen any of his friends, minus the various newspaper clippings of them. But that never was the same as seeing them in person.

She had taken longer then what he anticipated; he was about to turn and go strait to her office, then he heard the _click-click_ of her shoes as she made her way down the hallway. The lighting in the hallway was low, just enough for her to see and plenty enough dim for him to hide. He backed himself into the darker shadows so he couldn't be seen, but where he could see her.

When he saw her, he smiled. She looked the same as she always has. Her brown hair was still a curly mess, but it looked more tamed now. Maybe it was because it was longer now then it used to be. She looked more like a woman now than a teenage girl. Her eyes were the same soft brown he remembered. But the more he looked; he noticed that she looked tired and sad.

Frowning, he wondered what the hell could've caused that.

Then it hit him in the gut; of course. He knew exactly what caused it.

_"Hermione_."

He didn't know he said that aloud until she clapped her hand over her mouth, waited a moment, and then looked around with her wand out. He had to duck so the light from her wand didn't hit him. Frowning, she yelled at Peeves and walked off, slowly. If he was smart, he would've stayed right where he was and waited till she was asleep before he went in.

But he made a move and so did his robes. They moved with him and she heard it. She turned around, pointing her wand in his direction. Thinking fast, he pulled out his own wand and knocked hers out of her hand. She had barely made a gasp as it flew away and fell a good twenty feet away from her

But none of that stopped her. She came walking in his direction. He decided to move again, but he had trapped himself in a corner. So he just stood there, knowing that she had caught him. Closing his eyes, he used his wand to make the lamps turn brighter.

He opened his eyes and watched her struggle with the sudden brightness. When Hermione saw him, she went pale. All he could do was watching her as she came closer, touched his cheek, and cry silently. He noticed her wand hand and reached up absent mindedly and looked at it, hoping to see that he didn't cause any damage to it. When he was sure that it was fine, he looked back at her.

"Hermione." he said. "I'm sorry."

She almost said his name before he knocked her out. It was a simple spell, no harm would come to her. She'd just have a killer headache when she woke up.

Hermione had gone limp in his arms. He lifted her in his arms and carried her off. He grabbed her wand, made all the lamps die down low, and walked to her office. He knew where he was going and it didn't take him long to find the entrance, say the password, and then head to her room.

He placed her on her bed, pulled the covers over her, placed her wand on the desk, and walked out. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, but when he found it, something caught his eye. It was a picture of Hermione, Ron, and him. They were all goofing around and had managed to jinx each other; each having bits of animals parts in place for body parts.

Harry grinned, thinking of that day. Placing the photo back on the desk, he headed out. When he got halfway there, he turned into his Animagus form, crossed Hogwarts ground, went through the Forbidden Forrest and headed towards where he made his home for now.

Harry stood and stared at the papers. They were things that the Minister of Magic had sent to Hermione for her to know what the heck was going on. They were very detailed and somewhat dramatic on what was happening. But Harry knew he had to read them, get them memorized, and pray that what he thought wasn't true.

But he knew it was. He had seen it happen. Of course, he had been there. Voldemort had realized his defeat, and did something to the Manus building, causing the green flames and then the screaming. Harry had barely managed to escape before the whole thing collapsed.

And how Voldemort managed to escape after what he did to that building? Harry had no idea. But he did manage to escape, with him right behind that evil bastard.

He shook his head, not wanting to think of that night and the memories that tore him apart.

The reports of the bazaar incidents were indeed bazaar. People, who were thought of perfectly normal, happy with their lives and families, climbed the top of some building in Diagon Alley, screamed and yelled something obscene or unintelligible, and jumped. This of course, had happened more then once and all of them were the same.

The Ministry had thought of this as some work of the Dark Arts. They questioned and drilled everyone they could think of, even the ones in Azkaban. But no one had knew a thing about was going on. All they knew is that Lord Voldemort was dead and that they were to spend the rest of their lives rotting away.

Stretching, Harry began to think. He knew of the rumors, knew of the stories, and knew that some of them were very true. He began thinking of his plan and wondering. He had to rethink of this plan. If these killings/suicides kept on thinking, then they were growing more powerful by the minute. And the Ministry needed to know.

The only way they could find out is if someone told them. And Harry knew he couldn't just go to the Ministry and tell them. He had been faking his own death for ten years now. Everyone knew that he was dead.

Everyone but one.

Which was one person that now needed to be a part of his plan. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything Harry Potter

**Chapter Five**

"Professor?"

Hermione stifled a yawn and looked up from the book she was reading. Tana Banks, a seventh year Ravenclaw, who also happened to be Head Girl, stood before her, looking rather nervous. In her hands, she gripped a piece of parchment tightly.

Hermione had spent most of the afternoon in the Library and it looked like it was getting closer to the evening then she had thought. Standing, she smiled, hoping she didn't look as tired and worn out as she felt.

"Yes Miss Banks?"

"Professor Nishant asked me to give this letter to you," she handed Hermione the letter. "He said its rather urgent."

Hermione took the letter, opened it, and read it quickly. Frowning, she looked up and nodded at Tana. "Thank you," she said and checked her watch. "You better go, it's nearing dinner time."

Tana nodded and hurried out of there. Hermione really didn't blame her; she was in what was probably the darkest room in the Library. Every since that night, she had been spending most of her time behind books, looking for answers. She really didn't know exactly what she was looking for, but once/or if she did, she would know.

Grabbing the letter and leaving the pile of books on the table, Hermione set off to Professor Nishant's classroom. According to the letter, whatever was there, it was very important. Hermione made her way there, by passing students who were hurrying off to get something to eat, yelling at friends to hurry and catch up, or walking slowly, talking about the latest gossip.

Professor Nishant's room was a room that Hermione was familiar with. It used to belong to Professor McGonagal before she retired a year or two before Hermione took charge. Entering the classroom, she sighed and prayed for patience.

"Hello Minister," she tried to say pleasantly enough.

A man in his mid to late forties stood up from a chair he had been sitting at, when he stood a person could tell that he was about six foot seven. He was a well fit man, with broad shoulders and a thick neck. He was tanned, which showed that he either he was outside a lot or that the tan was fake. Hermione really didn't care which was which. His hair was a dark brown; with a few grays that made him look distinguish, along with dark brown eyes.

"Granger," the Minister said gruffly. Even though he appointed her, along with governors of the school, as the Headmistress of Hogwarts, he never called her by that title. It was always "Granger" or "Hermione" or maybe, if she was lucky, it would be "ma'am".

Professor Nishant stood at his desk, not at all looking pleased. Hermione stood tall, waiting for whatever the Minister of Magic was about to throw at her. He cleared his throat and started to speak in his gruff voice.

"Well, we've received numerous threats towards Hogwarts–."

"Oh have you?" Hermione cut him off. "I've never seen or heard of these threats."

The Minister gave Hermione a hard look. "We haven't let the press know–."

"But she's the Headmistress," Nishant exclaimed. "Doesn't she have the right to know whether or not her school is go–."

Hermione put up her hand to stop him. "Now Ted," she said, addressing the Minister by his first name. "Why haven't you told me of these threats? And what makes you think anyone that had anything to do with Voldemort would mail you threats? They never have before."

The Minister crossed his arms and leaned against one of the tables, scowling over the fact that she guessed right about the letters. "We didn't think of them as anything at first. Much less from anyone who admires The Dark Lord," he explained. "When they first arrived, I just brushed them aside. I know as much as you do that the school is highly protected and there isn't a way it could be attacked. From the _outside_."

Hermione frowned, telling him to continue.

"Then we've been told that there is an insider," he stated. "That they know all of the secrets of the school, how to bypass the security, how to destroy it from the inside. Now, I can assure you that I didn't believe it at first, but with all these _incidents_ happening, I'm beginning to believe it."

There was silence between the three. Professor Nishant had taken a seat behind his desk and he looked to be thinking things through. Hermione rubbed the back of her neck and started to pace around.

"Alright," she muttered. "I honestly think this is a bunch of–." She stopped herself and frowned. "There isn't a person in this school that I don't trust. The Ministry has checked the background of every teacher from top to bottom and not a single one has anything to do with the Dark Arts. Well, of course the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, but he only teaches it, he doesn't participate with it in any way."

Taking a breath, Hermione closed her eyes and thought. "What is it that you wanted to say?" she asked after a while.

"The Ministry and the School Governors agree that it would be a good idea if we put Dem-."

"No," Hermione cut off harshly, anger flashing in her eyes. "There is no possible way that I will let you put those–those _things_ any where near this school."

The Minister glared at her, he was clearly not used to be told "no" at. He stood up strait, facing Hermione, who faced him back, with a glare just as mean as his.

"I'm afraid _ma'am_ that you may not have a choice."

"Don't you think if something serious like the Dark Arts was happening, sending _creatures_ that have in the past been a part of, to a school that you are trying to protect, is rather..._wrong_?"

The Minister's face turned red, but Hermione ignored it. He grabbed his coat and cat, sending one last glare towards her. "I'll be sure to send you an owl telling of our decisions." And then he was gone.

Professor Nishant waited a moment while Hermione's anger fused out. When she was done pacing around the classroom and talking to herself, she stopped in front of his desk and put her hands on her hips, looking up at the ceiling.

"Well, what you are planning on doing what?" he asked her.

Hermione bit her lower lip and checked her watch. "Well, right now I'm going to supper." She said. "But as for the Dementor issue–I don't know at the moment."

With that, she walked away.

________________________________________________________________________

Turning the page in a book that she was sure that was old as the school, she read through spells, charms, curses, and jinxes to find exactly what she was looking for. It was getting late; Hermione could hear the old Grandfather clock ticking away time in the corner. Yawning, she absent mindedly rubbed the back of her neck and caught a yawn.

She closed the book, turned around, and stared out a large window that was right behind her desk in her office. The moon's light lit up the grounds, giving it a romantic and peaceful scenery. Smiling, she thought of all the times she had ran across those grounds at this time of night, going to Hagrid's hut or sneaking into the Forbidden Forrest.

Then Harry came to her mind; fuming, she went back to the books. He was the reason why she was spending most of her time in those dusty pages. Playing with a strand of hair that had gotten lose from her braid, she read and read and read.

Hermione was there; she had seen the building in flames, knew the intensity of it all. The fact that he or anyone else made it out alive was unimaginable. But if he had made it out alive, why hide for all these years? Why not just come out and say that he lived. Even after the flames went out, the Ministry searched. They found no survivors, no bodies. They assumed that everyone in there had died in the fire and burned.

But Hermione saw him; he was alive and looked healthy. No signs of any burn marks what so ever. The same question kept on playing in her head, over and over again. Why is he hiding? Was he afraid of something? Had he thought–.

Her stomach clenched and her head swam. _No, no, no! _She thought, shaking her head. _There's no possible way. He's dead...he's dead! _Hermione refused to believe it, didn't want to accept what could be the truth. But why else would Harry have hid away from the world, letting everyone, including his best friends and the people he considered as _family_, think that he had died?

Hermione needed answers and a lot of them. The only person that could give her all of those answers had been "dead" for the past ten years, sneaked up on her in the middle of the night, knocked her out, and stolen from her.

Slamming the book shut, Hermione ran up stairs to get changed. She needed to take things into her own hands. She wasn't about to wait for him to come strolling into her school and take whatever else he needed. When she had finished changing, she was in jeans and a shirt, with a black cloak providing warmth.

Hermione also grabbed two items that she had hid, the Marauders Map and the Invisibility cloak. She would've bet a years pay that these two will come in handy for what she was about to do. Shoving her wand in her back pocket, she left her office and the school soundlessly.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything Harry Potter

**Chapter Six**

For the third time, Hermione checked the Marauders Map, frowning as she looked at a list of names. It showed that every teacher was in their room, sleeping or walking around. No student was out of their bed, roaming the hallways, which surprised her greatly.

She crossed the grounds and made it to Hogsmeade without being noticed. The cool night breeze played with the hood of her cloak and the bottom of it, making it harder to go unseen, let alone walk. She clutched the Invisibility cloak tighter to her, trying to conceal it.

There was an occasional visitor roaming about Hogsmeade, drunk or looking for some unfortunate soul to sell something too. Hermione tugged her hood down and kept on walking, not making eye contact with anyone.

As she walked, she thought of places that would be worth hiding at. The Shrieking Shack would be too obvious and too much of a risk. She had a feeling that Harry wouldn't risk anything at the moment. She made a list in her mind and discarded them the moment she thought of them. There weren't too many places that were hidden and that no one hasn't found. Sighing with frustration, she turned around and headed back to the school.

Cursing at her self for doing something this stupid and not taking the time thinking it through, something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. Acting as if she dropped something, she bent down and looked towards the direction.

Her hood was big and it left her face in a shadow, making it difficult for others to see her face, but it gave her the ability to see what was ahead of her. To her surprise, it was a gray wolf that made his way through the shadows. The wolf looked to be male, a very large male, mostly gray with the occasional black stripe on his body. His head was low, sniffing the ground or the air.

The wolf stopped, sniffed the air, and look towards her direction. Not moving, Hermione just crouched there, acting as if she was frantically looking for something. It didn't take long for the wolf to dismiss her as unimportant and continue to walk on, keeping in the shadows once more.

Something nagged inside of her started to nag and she acted on impulse. She pulled the Marauders Map out of her pocket, said the magic words, and spotted the name she almost hoped she wouldn't find. For a moment she felt dizzy and out of sorts. Shoving the map back in her pocket, she looked ahead and watched the wolf walk on ahead of her.

Very quickly, when she was sure she was alone and it was dark enough, Hermione took of her cloak and threw it over a bench, and quickly put on the Invisibility Cloak and went to follow the wolf.

At first she had no idea where she was going, not until they reached the outer parts of Hogsmeade. _Of course,_ she thought. _Why didn't I think of this? _Following the wolf and trying to stay away from the wind so it couldn't smell her, memories of going down this road and reaching that rocky mountain came flooding back to her.

The wolf made it easily up the hill and Hermione had more of a problem. Trying to stay hidden in the cloak and not making any sounds was difficult. Twice the wolf stopped and looked behind him, sniffing the air. But whatever he smelled didn't have any bother him much. He was ahead of her and made it to the top before her, but it didn't bother none to Hermione. She knew where he was heading off too.

It took sometime, but Hermione had made her way up the hill. And she was rather proud of herself for not making any noise, except for the occasional rock or two that fell. Standing up fully, she took the cloak off and hoped that she didn't rip it, she made her way towards the cave she hadn't visited in years.

"You know, when it comes to following people, you do a poor job at it."

Hermione barely stopped her shriek as she whipped around, staring in disbelief at a man that she had seen two nights ago for the first time in ten years. Disbelief slowly became anger as she took off the cloak. But if the glare that she sent Harry bothered him, he didn't show it.

"How'd you know it was me?" she demanded

"From the occasional gasp, curse, and lost footing," Harry said, grinning at her perplexed expression. "You may have thought you were quiet, but wolf's ears are extra sensitive to noise."

He watched her for awhile, clutching his Invisibility cloak tight to her. "How did you know it was me?"

She stood still for a moment before she pulled out a warn out map that he recognized in a minute. His eyes flickered to it and then to her face, he look partially amused.

Harry shrugged and looked over his shoulder, checking to make sure no one had followed them. Waving a hand to tell her to follow him, he made is way into the cave that housed his Godfather for awhile all those years ago.

Hermione followed him inside. When she got there, she was surprised to see how it looked. There was several blankets on the ground which was to pass as a bed, an warn out desk that looked like it could collapse at any moment, and a rickety chair. Besides that, it looked like any regular cave with a few candles for light.

Harry shrugged off his cloak that he was wearing and tossed it on the makeshift bed. He turned back to a astonished Hermione and stared at her, waiting for whatever tongue lashing he was about to get.

It didn't take long. "Harry Potter," she whispered, more do to the fact that she was angry then she feared to be overheard. "Wh-how–I don't even know where to begin!"

She crossed her arms and glared at him, trying very hard to think of something. Though he wasn't helping any, just standing there, his bright green eyes looking at her from behind his round black glasses.

"What the hell is going on?" she finally snapped.

Harry sighed, scratched his head, and gave her a weak smile. Hermione shook her head, telling him that she wasn't in the mood for it. "Hermione–." He stopped, looking for the right words. "It's a long story."

Hermione shrugged. "It better be a good one."

Smiling at her dry humor, he sat down on the rickety chair. It groaned in protest, but it held up. Hermione leaned against the wall, waiting for him to begin. It took sometime, but he started talking.

"Well–Hermione, I didn't plan this. I really didn't. Back then, after we graduated and I went in to go after Voldemort, I planned on coming back out, alive and him dead. But it's now how it turned out."

Hermione's mouth went dry and she gave him an odd look. Harry laughed and shook his head.

"No, I'm very much alive Hermione. You're not going crazy."

She nodded.

"I fought him; he fought back, of course. But, he seemed–I don't know how to put it. At first he was so sure of himself, very positive over the fact that I was going to die and he would win. But then, I started to get the upper hand in the battle. He was getting weaker...I don't know why I felt the sudden growth of power in me, but I did. I don't even know where it came from. And he for sure as hell saw it too."

Harry sighed and stared intently at Hermione. "He did something to the building; caused it to go up in flames. But it started on the outside, not in the inside. Then it made its way inside, killing people left and right. I escaped before it reached the inside, making my way through a tunnel. I only found that because that's how Voldemort escaped."

Hermione shook her head, not believing a word. "He's dead." She whispered, slowly falling to the ground.

"Hermione." Harry snapped. "Don't you think I would know if he was dead or alive?"

"I-." Hermione didn't know what to say.

"I followed him out of that," he said, looking at her. "I probably would've caught him too, but something hit me hard, I don't know what it was or where it came from. But when I came out of it, I had a killer headache and Voldemort was long gone."

"Why didn't you just come back?" Hermione snapped.

"Because I knew I couldn't!" Harry shouted. "How the hell was I was going to explain to the Ministry that I let the Dark Lord escape? How was I going to try to explain that I was knocked out from behind as he ran for his life? They wouldn't have believed me Hermione! They would've locked me up, saying that I was in league with him–."

"Then if he's still alive, where is he now?" Hermione cried.

"Hell if I know. But he's somewhere–it just that–I don't think he remembers..."

"You're not making any sense."

"Why would he not have come out and started killing people again?" Harry asked, more to himself then to her. "Why are now people suddenly dying and why was there ten years of peace? Why fake his death? What's he waiting for?"

Hermione wanted to say it, but didn't have the nerve too.

"Oh, I have no doubt that he wants me," he said. "But there's something else–."

"You already destroyed all of the Horcruxes!"

"I know I did. Thanks for reminding me."

Hermione ignored him. "So you think he's out there, hiding, with no memory? This _really_ doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah." Harry sighed, not looking at her.

Hermione scowled. "Why do I have the feeling that you're not telling me something?"

"Maybe because I'm not telling you something?"

Hermione scoffed. "You know these past ten years have made you more of a–."

"Smart arse than I already was?" He grinned. "Thank you."

"I was going for 'sarcastic person', but that works too." She said, smiling slightly. Then she got more serious. "Harry, why didn't you tell us?"

'Us' would be referring to her and Ron. Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he gave her an even look. "Because."

"Oh well that clears up everything." Hermione said sarcastically.

"You're being watched," he told her.

Hermione looked behind and around her, frowning. "I am?" she asked.

"Not now," he said. "Meaning, there are people closely tied to Voldemort who are watching anyone who had anything to do with me. Especially you and Ron."

Hermione waved it off. "I would have kno–."

"No, you wouldn't have." Harry snapped. "Because these people are so damn good at their job, it's scary. They're just average people that pretend to go about their business, people that share a friendly word with you now and then if you passed them on the streets, and people that watch you when someone brings up my name, waiting for any sign of emotion."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but closed it right away. She shivered, acting as if she just realized that she was sitting in a cave in the middle of the night. A gust of cold wind made it way in, cooling off the cave even more.

"Where's your cloak?"

"Hmm?" Hermione looked up when Harry asked her that question. When she finally realized what he was asking, she shrugged. "I tossed it over some chair when I went to follow you so I could wear the invisibility cloak–probably someone wandering Hogsmeade has it by now."

Rolling his eyes, Harry reached for his own black cloak he put on before he went to greet Hermione, and tossed it to her, telling her without words to put it on. And she did, wrapping herself with it as she sat there on the cold ground, thinking.

"I don't want to believe it," she whispered. "It's just–just not–believable. But you're here, sitting in front of me–and I guess I don't have a choice but to believe it."

"They call themselves The _Exercitus Immortalis,_" Harry said in a low voice.

Hermione stood, needing to do something. Her brow crinkled as she thought. "Is that Latin?"

"Yes. It means Immortal Army."

**A/N:** Sorry it's taken me so long to post another chapter. Hope you all enjoy!


End file.
